


Out of Sight, Out of Mind

by ArtemisRae



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Character Study, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-04
Updated: 2011-02-04
Packaged: 2017-12-31 10:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1030676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemisRae/pseuds/ArtemisRae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It took him years to realize that normal people didn’t see the quiet light emanating from inside</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out of Sight, Out of Mind

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 31_days, prompt: I am seeing ghosts in everything I do. Nico gen fic.

His own ghosts don’t bother him as much as the ghosts of others. It took him years to realize that normal people didn’t see the quiet light emanating from inside, a reflection of their attachment to this life – and how others strengthened or weakened that attachment.  
  
It’s not so bad with couples or families – catch Percy Jackson visiting with Sally, or interrupt a make-out session with Annabeth, and his life aura is almost blinding. Even Clarisse, that crabby daughter of Ares who pulses at the edges of his vision when she’s fighting in the training arena flares up a bit whenever Chris Rodriguez is watching. It’s sort of fascinating to watch campers make attachments, form bonds – he can call it months in advance before a couple starts dating, just by the way they brighten when they pass one another during Capture the Flag or at archery lessons.  
  
It’s harder to see those who have lost somebody. A son of Dionysus is missing his brother. It’s so obvious - his life aura is strong, and there’s nothing wrong with him, no reason he may be near death, but there’s a hole in his heart and it dims his entire life aura in a way that Nico can peg immediately. He sees it everywhere, in the faces of campers, missing their compatriots, parents, worried for their children, and lovers, searching for their other half. Their loved ones have passed on and stolen with them pieces of the living; every day Nico watches as the living try to fill those empty places, like turning a puzzle piece until it fits.  
  
Nico studies the life aura of others; those who know who he is, whom he belongs to, what ability he bears sometimes look at him with hope, but Nico knows he disappoints them. He can’t replace the missing pieces that his own ghosts have taken from him, let alone repair the ache of others.


End file.
